


Marginally Yours

by audiaphilios



Series: From Tumblr With Lo-- [5]
Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bookstore, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-23
Updated: 2016-05-23
Packaged: 2018-06-10 05:26:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 824
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6941704
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/audiaphilios/pseuds/audiaphilios
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Derek loves the smell of old books.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Marginally Yours

**Author's Note:**

  * For [BrennaBuns](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BrennaBuns/gifts).



> Another tumblr ficlet based on @that-omgcp-trash's headcanon, because I have a bad habit of demanding AUs, and then writing them myself. I am AU trash.
> 
> [Originally posted to tumblr May 17, 2016.](http://audiaphilios.tumblr.com/post/144481867380/headcanons-derek-malik-nurse)

After college, Nursey moves to a new city, ready to be out of the bustle of New York. He starts frequenting his neighborhood used book store, and stumbles across a strange and rather embarrassing thing. He keeps buying particular books because they smell AMAZING, even though they’re not a genre he’s normally into. He finds himself reading them anyway, and kind of getting into it– first because he figures the person would be turning in the same genre/author, and so he’s trying to find more of their old books, and then because he gets drawn into the books. 

Well, and the notes and marks left in the margin. He really starts to feel like he knows this person, who smells so good and reads science fiction and gets pissy when a book handwaves a really rather simple mechanical/computer process. 

But then one day he looks at his new book collection and sees just how many books this person had at the bookshop. And it occurs to him that he might be falling for a dead guy. He may, in fact, lose his chill a bit over the thought.

So he avoids the bookshop for a few days, but realizes he could probably ask the bookseller about these books– there’s got to be a record, right? And if they came in all at once it was probably either a death or leaving town, but maybe this guy is alive, and is regularly exchanging books?

The bookseller’s nice, and honestly reassuring– he’d noticed that Nursey’s tastes had changed recently, and that he kept picking up books brought in by that other nice young fellow. He wouldn’t have said anything, of course, if Nurse didn’t bring it up, but no– he’s alive, comes in regularly. Has a running account of returns and purchases, in fact, treats the shop practically like a library. And they’re chatting about this, Nurse super-relieved, when the bell on top of the door rings. 

Nurse is suddenly embarrassed, way too invested in this stranger and now the bookseller knows, _why did he think this was a good idea?_ So he thanks the guy, apologizes and ducks away before anything else can be said, and on his way out the door he trips into the customer who just came in. The guy reaches out to catch him, dropping the books he’d been carrying, and Nurse is suddenly surrounded by the smell he’d been seeking out for weeks now. He immediately blushes, but doesn’t have the strength yet to move. The guy’s not letting him go, either.

“I’m surprised you boys haven’t run into one another– haha!– before now, honestly.” The bookseller’s approaching, and Derek has never been more embarrassed in his life. He slowly raises his eyes, trying not to notice the strong body, the broad shoulders–dear god, the freckles!– and finally coming to rest on the most unusual hazel eyes– are they gold, or do they just look that way in the light? There is poetry in Derek’s mind, in his blood, on his lips before he fiercely bites it back.

“Are you okay?” The guy is practically holding him up by his elbows, books forgotten, and Derek wishes he could sink through the floor because the guy must think he’s bizarre.

“Um, yes, thanks,” Derek finally chokes out in a whisper. The bookseller is grinning broadly as he stoops to pick up the fallen books.

“Derek, how about you just take these books straightaway? You’ll still get your credits, Will, but I know Derek here would be the one to pick them out, anyway.”

Derek finally manages to stand up straight and step back. The feel of the other man’s–Will’s?– hands sliding down his arms as he moves away leaves a lingering sensation.

“Ah, so you’re the guy who’s been buying up my old books? I tried to come buy one back the other day for a re-read, and was told I was out of luck!”

“Ha, um, sorry? Which book? I probably still have it,” Derek answers, thinking _I definitely still have it._ Doesn’t matter which book it is, Derek still has it.

“Oh, that’d be great!”

“Boys, if you’re not going to buy anything here today, how about you move out of my doorway? There are plenty of places to sit around and talk at the cafe next door.”

Derek flushes again, certain it’s dark enough to be noticeable, and looks at the other guy again. The red-head tilts his head and smiles.

“Sure, yeah. Let’s do that. I’m Will, by the way. Will Poindexter. Don’t laugh.” He sticks out his hand, and Derek shakes it, smiling.

“I wasn’t going to. I’m Derek. Derek Nurse.”

As the two men leave the shop, tentative talking about the books they’re going to exchange, the bookseller crosses his arms with a satisfied smile.

“Easy as pie,” he says, before heading back to the counter, adjusting displays along the way.


End file.
